§ MR. JOYCEOn behalf of the hon. Member for Merthyr Tydvil (Mr. D. A. THOMAS) I beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer if he can now make any statement as to the remission of duty he proposes to allow on coal shipped since 19th April last under contracts entered Into prior to that date; and whether this remission will be confined to coal delivered on contracts made by merchants with foreign subjects which the merchants have covered by purchases and on which the margin of profit is less than the duty, or whether all coal shipped under contracts made before 18th April will be subject to the remission of the full shilling.
§ SIR M. HICKS BEACHI am not yet able to make any general statement on this subject, as the contracts, which are very numerous, and vary greatly from one another, must be first carefully examined. But I may say that I do not think it will be desirable to make the grant of this concession dependent on the margin of profit exceeding the duty.